Western Carolina University Board Of Trustees Elected Becky Brown As Next Chair

Last week, the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees elected Becky Brown as chair. Brown succeed Casey Cooper, who completed his term as chair and will continue to serve on the board through June 30, 2029. 

Brown is a retired senior state government leader who brings three decades of experiences in fiscal management and public administration. She served as the director of Budget and Management for the North Carolina Department of Labor.  

Brown graduated from WCU in 1971 and maintained a longstanding commitment to the university through both leadership and service. She joined the Board of Trustees in 2020 and previously served on WCU's Foundation Board, Alumni Board of Directors and Catamount Club Board. She has also completed executive leadership programs at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University. 

The board also elected Jake Robinson as vice chair and Susan Strum as secretary. Robinson, a 2010 WCU graduate and president and CEO of Champion Credit Union, has served on the Board of Trustees since 2021. A former Catamount men's basketball standout, he has remained actively engaged with the university through board and committee service. 

Strum, who joined the Board of Trustees in 2024, is a 1987 WCU graduate with degrees in biology and chemistry and a master's degree in biochemistry from Wake Forest University. She is head of Assay Development at Sapere Bio and previously served as chair of WCU's College of Arts and Sciences Advancement Council.